New Projects Are Near and Far

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Each week, Kickstarter staff round up a few of our favorite, recently launched projects to share with you. Today we've got special effects, lady power in a few forms, and some old-fashioned photography focused on a very new kind of place. Read on!

Peter Ireland wants to make a restaurant that feels like home. Being a person who lives some thousand miles from where they grew up, I am always seeking any place that feels like home. So, The Lynn on Bryant pretty much had me at the first line of their (totally sincere, heartwarming) project video. The farm-to-table restaurant is a collaboration between Peter and his bookhound buddy, Jay Peterson, who both grew up on farms and hope to bring that sense of community and care to their place of business. Backers can score meals or — if you're further away — books. No surprise, the two make an excellent pair.

Limbos is a self-aware parody that targets romantic comedies, Brooklyn, ghost films, Kickstarter pitch videos, repressed sexual tension, and etc. You name it, and I feel certain these guys would be willing to make fun of it. The catch-all approach fits smoothly with their particular brand of wit, and hopefully will temper any nightmares aroused by watching this fifteen minute short about a pair of friends who must confront a teenage ghost that is determined to have them hook up before he can R.I.P. (LOL.)

For nearly ten years, StoryCorps has collected oral histories from people all over the United States, by inviting friends, family members, and everyday folks to interview each other about their memories, their relationships, and all the peripheral anecdotes that add up to this thing we call "life." (You may have heard some of these stories on NPR, where they've been playing as a regular part of Morning Edition.) In addition to the audio recordings, though, the acclaimed Rausch Brothers have been crafting short, accompanying animations — lovingly rendering each tale into cartoon form, and soundtracking it with the actual narrative. Now, with Kickstarter, they're looking to create their first, half hour special. It will feature six animated shorts, disparate stories woven together to create a singular life cycle, from childhood all the way to work, falling in love, friendship, and, at the tale end, reflection. Beautiful!

Will May is a Virginia-based artist who is going to Paris for an artist's residency program, but he wants to make art based on stories and places contributed by people he knows. Backers will be called on to give him assignments: go to a point, follow a path, or investigate a situation through his art, and, in turn, he'll keep them updated on his process and progress along the way. Paris is a city rich with myriad types of history, as Will points out in his project description, and it will be fascinating to see him negotiate existing mythologies, memories, and fictions through the hopes and expectations of his backers. Can't wait to see how this one develops!

Practice makes perfect. We know it, you know it, that one high school teacher was always talking about it. The phrase is ubiquitous, no question, but it's still rare that it looks this good in execution. I Draw Comics is a sketchbook and reference guide that outlines the basics of illustration, page design, and basic storytelling. It includes a history of the industry, figure guides, notes on perspective, and some basics on how to narratively lay out a page. Matt's last project was the niche hit I Draw Cars, which focused specifically on its titular vehicle, but was so universally accessible and beautiful designed, that even the biggest auto-phobe could love it. Can't wait to combine forces with these two!